Senior Engineering Manager - Data and Agent Operations

Eneco-; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Eneco, a frontrunner in the energy transition, seeks a Senior Engineering Manager to lead data and AI engineering across the organisation. You will shape the technical direction, develop engineering managers, and establish scalable DataOps practices to deliver high-value data products for Eneco's energy market transformation.

You will balance autonomy with shared standards, cultivate an engineering culture focused on continuous improvement, and partner with Data, ML, and Platform teams to

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading data engineering and ML teams in a large organisation.

Responsibilities

• Set the direction for data, ML, analytics and AI solutions within Eneco's engineering portfolio.
• Develop and mentor engineering managers and leads to build high-performing teams.
• Drive DataOps practices and agentic AI initiatives to improve delivery efficiency and quality.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders to align talent and capability with business priorities.

Skills

Data engineering leadership

ML leadership

Stakeholder management

Talent development

Strategic thinking

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Azure

Job description

The world of energy is changing rapidly. As a frontrunner in the energy transition, Eneco is pioneering the use of sustainable energy sources and innovative solutions for energy generation, storage and management. At the same time, customer expectations are evolving, with a growing demand for seamless, relevant and digital services.

Data and technology play a crucial role in this transformation. At Eneco, you'll have the opportunity to influence our digital strategy, develop engineering capabilities and lead the teams building innovative data and machine learning solutions that accelerate the energy transition.

As Senior Engineering Manager, you'll lead and develop our data and AI engineering organisation, ensuring we have the right people, capabilities and engineering practices to deliver high-quality digital products. You'll work closely with other senior leaders across Data, ML, Engineering and Agentic AI to shape our technical direction and align our capabilities with Eneco's strategic priorities.

You build, staff, mentor and lead Eneco's data delivery teams, fostering a culture of operational rigor - efficient, standardized and automated data engineering - alongside collaboration, continuous learning and innovation. You champion an operational mindset and fast learning, overseeing technical diligence, delivery focus (OTIF) and excellence, and you establish and continuously improve best practices.

You work closely with the shared Platforms organization, Data Science & Analytics, the Data & AI Office and the broader business to coordinate the delivery of high-quality data products for all of Eneco. You are the operational bridge that ensures data teams embedded in the business adopt scalable DataOps - delivering high-value insights, forecasts, predictions and optimisations that solve customer and business problems.

You'll combine strategic leadership with a strong focus on people development and technical excellence, creating an environment where engineers can grow, collaborate and continuously improve.

Leadership & strategy

• Set the vision and direction for engineering, aligned with Eneco's Data & AI strategy.
• Lead and develop engineering managers responsible for delivering a portfolio of data, ML, analytics and AI solutions.
• Recruit, support and mentor data engineering leads.
• Drive technical excellence and establish effective DataOps practices across teams.
• Balance autonomy within product teams with shared standards, quality and consistency across the organisation.
• Leverage agents wherever possible to automate the data work that needs doing, and lead the agentic transformation of your teams.

People development & engineering excellence

• Build a strong engineering community that promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous learning.
• Develop mentoring, coaching and feedback practices to support the personal and professional growth of engineers.
• Identify capability gaps and create opportunities for learning, development and career progression.
• Promote engineering best practices, including code reviews, pair programming and knowledge exchange.

Recruitment & talent management

• Define the hiring strategy and workforce needs for your domain in collaboration with other engineering leaders.
• Work with Talent Acquisition and fellow engineering leaders to shape roles, job descriptions and recruitment processes.
• Ensure the right talent and capabilities are available to meet current and future business needs.
• Collaborate with Group Product Managers and other leaders to align talent development with business priorities.

Stakeholder management & collaboration

• Partner with business to execute our enterprise data & AI strategy and (data) technology vision.
• Build strong relationships with senior business and technology stakeholders.
• Contribute to strategic decisions across the TECH organisation, connecting data, ML, AI and engineering capabilities.
• Strengthen collaboration and alignment across the engineering organisation and Eneco's broader AI-enabled transformation.

You're an experienced engineering leader who combines technical expertise with a passion for developing people and building high-performing teams. You can navigate organisational complexity, make strategic decisions and create the conditions for teams to deliver meaningful results.

You also bring:

• Strong experience leading (multiple) data engineering or ML teams in an enterprise setting.
• A proven track record of delivering data engineering and ML solutions, and of aligning technical work with broader business goals.
• Fluency with agentic ways of working and the ambition to automate repetitive, error-prone data work.
• High initiative and the ability to thrive in an operational, dynamic environment - switching easily between move-fast and no-margin-for-error modes.
• Extensive experience in a senior engineering leadership role within a data, AI and technology platforms.
• Strong expertise in Data Engineering, including modern enterprise data management, data integration and distributed data processing. Familiarity with ML engineering, AI systems, Agentic AI model lifecycles is an advantage.
• A solid engineering background, spanning architecture, development and (data) operations.
• Experience with cloud technologies; knowledge of Databricks, Snowflake and Azure is a plus.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at senior leadership level.
• The ability to navigate ambiguity, balance competing priorities and adapt your approach to the situation.
• A proactive mindset and a strong focus on continuous improvement.
• A genuine interest in coaching people, developing talent and building an inclusive engineering culture.
• An affinity with Eneco's mission to accelerate the energy transition.

You'll join Eneco's TECH organisation, where data and AI are central to transforming the energy market. The growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles and heat pumps is changing how energy is generated, distributed and consumed. Digital innovation helps us balance supply and demand, optimise energy systems and create better customer experiences.

Eneco has centralised its data capabilities within a dedicated data department, bringing together expertise across the organisation. You'll work with talented colleagues across Data, ML, Engineering and Product to strengthen our data-driven capabilities and maintain our leading position in the energy market.

We offer an open and energetic working environment where initiative, collaboration and new ideas are encouraged. Together, we work towards a more sustainable future.

• Lead the future of Data & AI Engineering by shaping the strategy, developing engineering leaders and building high-performing teams that accelerate Eneco's digital transformation.

• Drive engineering excellence at scale by embedding standardised, automated DataOps practices and leveraging Agentic AI to improve efficiency, quality and delivery.

• Lead Eneco's Agentic AI transformation of Data Engineering by driving the adoption of AI agents and scalable DataOps practices to automate data work, strengthen engineering excellence and improve delivery efficiency.